Boosting Kenya’s IT market with satellite data, analytics

Agriculture is a dominant economic sector in Kenya: its share in the country’s gross domestic product was 23% as of 2020.

The industry is also the primary source of employment, with almost 54% of the total workforce having a job in farming.

Therefore, it’s no exaggeration to say that Kenya’s economic prosperity depends significantly on the state of the sector. 

In response to the high demand for digital technologies among agribusinesses that aim to increase productivity and efficiency, the country’s agritech scene has been developing rapidly.  

However, IT companies tackling agriculture entrepreneurs’ issues may deal with problems themselves.

Difficulties with the integration and processing of vast volumes of satellite data, the lack of features based on access to this data, the need to expand to new markets, coupled with the high cost of custom development are some of the challenges businesses face.

EOS Data Analytics, a global provider of AI-powered satellite imagery analytics, has expertise, tools, and services to solve these issues. The company creates products and custom solutions for 20+ industries.

Its services are used by more than 37,000 customers on the continent. EOSDA hopes to extend its partnership network to Kenya’s IT market.

“We are delighted to help local IT companies to expand the functionality of their products, target more industries, expand the client base, save time on market analysis and software development, and avoid investment risks,” notes Diana Mistrova, Sales Manager at EOS Data Analytics.

The company offers three services for the IT sector: access to API, white label, and custom solution.

1. API integration

Customers get access to EOS Crop Monitoring API for integrating raw, processed, and analyzed satellite data into their solution or an existing GIS tool.

Specifically, users can browse, visualize, and analyze data from nine satellites.

Weather forecasts and historical data, image analysis using 18 vegetation indices, soil moisture stats since 2015, farming statistics for a given region are some of the tool’s features at users’ disposal.

EOSDA can also acquire data from additional satellites (it will require extra time and cost).

2. White label solution

A white label allows businesses to expand their customer base without spending months and thousands of dollars developing an agritech solution from scratch.

White label users can distribute the EOS Crop Monitoring platform under their branding and logo and handpick a set of features and modules.

Depending on the customization level and the number of services, two white-label options are available: Basic and Advanced. The basic option customers get customized EOS Crop Monitoring ready for partner users.

Extra features of the advanced option include a mobile scouting app and the ability to manage users via an admin panel under the client’s domain. 

Also, all users will join the EOSDA Partner Program and benefit from tech support, services, and educational content.

3. Custom solution

 This service entails expanding the EOS Crop Monitoring’s functionality, building a product based on customer requirements, or providing a custom solution to a problem upon request. Custom solutions are:

• Land coverage and field boundary classification
• Soil and crop type classification
• Harvest dynamics monitoring
• Yield prediction
• Access to soil moisture data starting 2002

EOS Data Analytics is working to ensure Kenya’s IT companies can reap the benefits from integrating satellite imagery analytics into their solutions.

The company is committed to supporting sustainable agriculture practices in the country.